Every month I share five basic tips to help you when it comes to your blog, your business, or social media.
So, you’ve been busy blogging away… You’re putting time and effort into the posts you’re writing, but for some reason things just aren’t working. You aren’t seeing the traffic pouring in like you had thought it would. And you’re left feeling totally frustrated and discouraged. The thing is, your blog’s traffic won’t grow overnight. You have to remain dedicated and work hard to get readers for your blog and keep them coming back for more. To help you out, I’m sharing a few tips you should always keep in mind if you want your blog to be a success.
5 Things to Do This Month to Get Readers for Your Blog
To give your traffic a boost this month, here are five basic things you can do to get readers for your blog. If you’re already doing some of these things, that’s great! If not, it’s time to make some changes to your blogging strategy.
1. Review your current content strategy.
Have your latest blog posts not been receiving the traffic, comments, and shares you had hoped for? Well, there are a couple reasons why that could be happening. First, it might be that your blog posts aren’t the best quality-wise. Take a look at your posts and really ask yourself if you’re happy with the content you’ve been producing. Are your posts well-written? Are they easy to read with headings, bullet points, numbered lists, etc.? Do they contain at least one high-quality image? You should always strive to publish your best work, otherwise there isn’t much reason to post at all.
Second, are you writing on topics that would appeal to your target audience? When it comes to blogging, it all goes back to your audience and what they’re interested in. You want to make sure you’re creating the content they would enjoy. Write posts that cover their interests and solve their problems. With every post you write, you should be providing value to your audience. Review your most recent posts and make sure they’re relevant to both your brand and your audience.
If you want to get readers for your blog, ensuring that you are consistently publishing high-quality, valuable content every time is key. If you aren’t, you can’t possibly expect anyone to stick around.
2. Start guest posting.
While some may argue that guest posting isn’t effective, I think it’s a fantastic way to get readers for your blog. It gives you exposure to a whole new audience and can help build your authority in your niche. The important thing to remember is that you choose the right blogs to guest post on! You can’t just post anywhere and expect to see results.
You have to figure out where your target audience is spending their time online. Which sites are they reading? Those are the ones you want to be guest posting on! Once you’ve chosen the sites that are right for you, email a pitch with a few ideas. If you get a rejection, don’t let it get you down. Just keep trying.
Alternatively, you can feature guest posts on your blog. When you do, the writer is sure to share that post with his or her audience, thus generating more traffic for you.
3. Engage with your audience on social media.
Have you been neglecting the social aspect of social media? So many people schedule their posts and never check in throughout the day to interact with the people they’re following. To do social media the right way, you need to be present. You need to engage with your audience by having conversations and building a connection with them. When you do, it becomes a simple way to get readers for your blog without actually having to promote yourself.
When you talk to people on social media, they get to know you a little better. And they’ll be more likely to check out your website when you do. Try joining some private Facebook groups where your audience is hanging out and become an active member. Share your advice and help others out when appropriate. Join Twitter chats and share your expertise. You can even search specific topics or hashtags on social media to find your audience and start interacting with them. When you put yourself out there, you’re inviting people to check out your profile and your blog.
4. Make sure your blog is shareable.
If you want to find readers for your blog, you want to make sure your current audience has no problem when it comes to sharing your posts. If it’s hard for your readers to share a post they love, they won’t even bother. I mean, you can’t rely on everyone having that super-handy Buffer extension on their browser.
To make sharing quick and easy, make sure you have a social sharing plugin included on each post. With the click of a button, your readers can share a link to your post straight to their favorite social media platform. It’s also a good idea to use a “pin” button on your images so they can easily be shared to Pinterest. Don’t forget about those Click to Tweet plugins either! With these, the Twitter post is already written for them. Could it get any easier than that?
5. Try new things.
Don’t get stuck in a rut when it comes to blogging. You have to be open to trying new things as a way to attract your audience. Instead of just focusing on written content, there’s so much more you can provide to your readers. Create video content and add it to your blog posts. See how your audience responds. Do they enjoy watching videos? If so, you can start incorporating YouTube videos into your content strategy on a regular basis. One great tip is to provide a video and a transcript within one post, which gives people the option to consume content however they prefer.
Try creating content upgrades for multiple blog posts. A content upgrade is a free download that is specific to a blog post. In order for your audience to access it, they have to sign-up for your email list. But how will that boost your traffic? We all love free stuff! If you can create an amazing content upgrade your audience would be interested in, they’ll rush to your site to download it. All you have to do is promote it!
